Understanding Sports Psychology Quotes and Stories “Be a master of the mind rather than mastered by the mind” …Zen Saying If you think you are beaten, you are If you think you dare not, you don’t If you’d like to win but think you can’t It’s almost a certain you won’t If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost For out of this world we find Success begins with a fellows will It’s all in a state of mind If you think you’re outclassed, you are You’ve got to think high to rise You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can win the prize Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger or faster man But sooner or later the man who wins Is the one who thinks he can. Anon According to recognized aeronautical tests the Bumble Bee cannot fly because of the shape and weight of his body in relation to his total wing area. The Bumble Bee doesn’t know this so he flies anyway! In her outstanding book, “Choose the Happiness Habit” Pam Golden writes: “Take the story of two brothers who are twins. One grows up to be an alcoholic bum. The other becomes an extremely successful businessman. When the alcoholic is asked why he became a drunk he replies, “My father was a drunk”. When the successful businessman Is asked why he became successful, he says: “My father was a drunk.” Same background, same upbringing, different choices.” Our mind is like muddy water in a glass. When the glass is shaken or stirred the water is unclear, dirty and unfocused. When the mud is allowed to settle the glass becomes clear and focused – the impurities stay at the bottom. Likewise when we are anxious, stressed, angry, over emotional – our minds are muddy ie. stirred, distracted, unfocused, not present – and thus it is difficult to think clearly / rationally or perceive directly with insight into the true reality of the situation.
For everything you think in your mind, your body has a reaction, regardless of whether it is real or not. For example, have you ever had a bad dream? Usually, you will wake up and your heart is racing, you are sweating and very agitated, even though all you were doing was sleeping. But in your mind there was something bad going on and your body was reacting to it. Here is another example: if you are home alone and hear a noise and interpret it as the wind, you are fine; but if you interpret it as a prowler, your fight or flight response takes over and you become fearful, your heart begins going a mile a minute, your eyes dilate and you are scared. These are two examples of how strong the connection is between your body and your mind. Getting the Most out of our Minds: 1. Breathing Skills… “Relax! Relax!” That’s what you often hear from coaches and parents before a big contest. Unfortunately asking people to relax often has the opposite effect. Being in a relaxed state is important to achieving peak performance in any endeavor. It is important when you are taking a test, giving a presentation, or performing athletically. Being relaxed will increase your productivity. There are two types or breathing exercises a) circle breathing b) progressive relaxation. Circle breathing is great for on the spot relaxation when you are about to throw a pitch, shoot a free throw, kick a field goal, and all those tasks that require great concentration and focus. The center of your body is located just behind your belly button, and this is where you want to start your breathing from. Starting from there draw air in slowly through your nose all the way up to your chest for a count of 4, hold it for a count of 2, then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4. Let go of all tension and completely clear your mind. Approximately 5-10 of these breaths in a row will help get you into a more relaxed state. Progressive Muscle Relaxation entails tensing each muscle, holding it and then relaxing each muscle on the exhale. You must work through each muscle group in order from the feet up to the head. The letting go lets you know what the absence of tension feels like. PMR was developed and introduced by Tutko and Tosi in 1930. This process of relaxation usually takes about 20 minutes and should be done in a quiet uninterrupted place. 2. Visualization… Visualize what you want…know, feel, see, hear, smell, taste that you are achieving your goal. Imagery is useful in building self confidence, but only if applied properly. Imagery should be used to imagine achievement of a goal that is being worked towards in order to help you believe that the goal is attainable. Most of us normally visualize when we sleep and we call it “dreams.” It is easier to visualize in a relaxed state. Make sure all of your senses are involved when you visualize. 3. Control your Self – Talk… An archer who is worried about missing the target will miss; the golfer who is concerned about his drive going into the water will hit it into the water; the batter who is thinking about whether he will steal second will
not make it to first. It has been established by psychologists that every person carries on an ongoing dialog, or self talk, of between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day. The danger is when the inner dialog takes on a negative connotation like “ I will never be as good an athlete as…” Negative thinking damages confidence, harms performance and paralyzes mental skills. It is important to consciously talk to yourself with affirmations or positive talk before your subconscious takes over. Our thoughts of ourselves generally come for what others say about us, but more importantly our belief in ourselves. Challenge your negative thoughts by analyzing them to see if there is foundation and then focus on the positive thought. Use specific strong affirmations. Self confidence is arguably one of the most important things you can have. Self confidence reflects your assessment of your own self worth. Where you are unconfident you will commonly suffer from fear of failure, self doubt, lack of concentration, and negative thinking. Ways to improve self confidence and self image include suggestion, visualization, and effective goal setting. Goal setting is probably the most effective way of building self confidence. 4. Getting in the zone… It is that realm of play in which everything – skill, training, mental discipline - comes together, and players feel themselves lifted to a level of peak performance in which limits seem far away. Characteristics of being in the “zone” are: relaxed, confident, completely focused, effortless, automatic, in control and fun. 5. Optimal Stress Level… If you are not under enough stress then you may find your performance suffers because you are bored and unmotivated. If you are under too much stress, then you will find that your results suffer from all the symptoms of stress. The zone for optimal performance is in a different place and is a different shape for different people. Some people may operate most effectively at a level of stress that would leave other people bored or in pieces. This is why you must take responsibility for controlling your own levels of stress particularly in a team situation. 6. Keys on winning under pressure… stay present, calm, clear, focused, alert moment to moment. Visualize achieving your goal, see yourself winning / scoring.